Strena Acceptance Part Four

 A Bid For Revenge 

Syrena looked down as she stared at her reward. She put the coins away as she just could not get all that she heard out of her head. She remembered all the times that she killed and tortured. Her eyes slid to her hands, knowing that they were red with blood. She remembered all that dress Dark Lady Grasharlo brought out of her. She remembered all the torture that she had put her uncle through. She remembered how she killed Grasharlo before she came back. She then remembered how she liked the dark joy that she had while she tortured him.

Then her mind flooded with all she had learnt and heard about her father. It seemed the more she heard the more evil he seemed. She did not like it but the more she heard and saw the more it became difficult to deny it. Yet she did not want to admit it either.

Yet she felt scared. Scared that she would end up like that. Scared that the moment that she took the throne that she took would become a tyrant. That sje too would seek to torture and conquer. She did not want that yet she wondered if she was doomed to become like that. That, despite it all, despite the fact she cared, despite the fact that she did not want to kill, despite the fact that she did not want to hurt people, she would end up becoming like that.

She felt herself curl up and started to cry as silently as she could. She hugged her legs tightly as she bowed her head and let the tears fall freely. She even let herself shake. She felt her body become engulfed in terror of nothing more than herself and what she was becoming.

That was when she felt a blade at her throat. She felt a ripple of shock run throughout her body. She, for a moment, was afraid that it was Chashathrophogh. Then she saw the tanned hand. This told her that the person that the hand belonged to was not Chashathrophogh as his hand was deathly pale.

She looked back to see the ice blue eyes and the sun kissed skin and dark brunette hair.

“Are you Arielsa Zuvé?”

She nodded her head. His lip curled into a smile.

“Finally. Good. Now keep quiet.”

“Why?”

“Shhh!”

She looked to the side at her sleeping companions. She looked back as she felt fear and depression grip her mouth and suffocate her. She found herself breathing in and out rapidly but silently.

“Was it something my father did?”

He nodded.

“Yes. He killed my father and mother. Then he forced me to wipe his behind every time he had a dump. He then forced me to clean him and beat me every time I stepped out of line. After he was done with me and got a serving girl to do it, he sold me to the cult of Clohida. There, I was forced to see all my brothers and sisters being sacrificed to her and I had to give my own blood countless times to her. So I reached a breaking point and killed them all.

“Then I wanted to take my revenge and did all that I could to find Emperor Nazon only to find out that he was dead. So I then did all to find out how he died. Then I found out that he had a daughter that people thought was dead, but I never believed it. So I did all that I could to find you and here you are!”

She looked down.

“Then do it!” She whispered.

He looked at her, puzzled.

“Over the past couple of days I have learnt that my father…Emperor Nazor…was a tyrant. He hurt many people.”

Her eyes moved to her uncle Zaryb.

“Including his own brother…”

“And?”

“I’ve done bad things too. I have heart people and I’ve even enjoyed it and I’m scared that I’ll end up like him. So, please, do it! I don’t want to become a tyrant. So, please, don’t let me.”

She looked back into his vacant eyes as the blade fell away. This was followed by his body. She saw the blood in the back of his head and was about to let out a scream. Before it could escape her mouth she felt a hand cover it. She saw the pale white slender fingers of a violinist. The next thing that she was looking at was Cerpheres’s face. He licked his lips and smiled as he looked directly at her.

“Be quiet will you?”

She looked at him as she felt her body shaking.

“Wh-wh- you-you…”

He licked his lips again.

“Yes. I did. You owe me one now!” He sang.

“But I wanted to-”

Before she could finish her sentence he gripped her by her throat and but pressure on her throat to prevent her from speaking.

“Yes, I know. But I don’t want you to die, not yet.” He spoke as he pulled her in and cupped her cheek. “Not when you’ve only just at the cusp of your greatness. In fact, I can tell that you have greater potential of greatness than your father, your dear, poor uncle and even my dear Bash! And I will not allow that to be put to waste. Not now, not ever. Even if I have to force it out of you, even if I have to make you immortal, I will get that greatness out of you. Once it does and-and I see it all! Only then will I let you die. So, have you got that my dear little princess?”

She looked at him terrified and nodded.

“Good!” He purred as he placed a hand on the corpse making it completely disappear.

He punched her and she flew. She skidded as she rolled when she landed. She trembled as she hit the tree. She crawled up and looked at him angrily. She then stomped over to him.

“What was that for?”

He smiled.

“Just making sure that you got the message.”

He placed a hand on her. Soon she was healed before he kissed her on the cheek that he punched.

“There, that’s better. Now go back to sleep.”

Soon her eyelids dropped.

“Sweet dreams!” He sang as she fell asleep in his arms. He calmed his breath as he used his magic to clean the blood away and carried her over and gently placed her down in between her uncle and Chashathrophogh. Bash was sleeping by Zaryb and he placed himself above their heads on a trunk of a tree where he watched them. He noticed that they all had tense faces so played the violin until their faced relaxed and he fell asleep.